Wire-reel



(NoModel.)

' W. R.,MGNUTT.

WIRE REEL. A l No. 551,141. Pat'e'ntedDec. 10, 1895'.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VALTER R. MCNUTT, 0F VOODSTON, KANSAS.

WIRE-REEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 551,141, dated December10, 1895.

' Application nea March is, 1895. serai No. 542,209. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER R. MoNUTT,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Voodston, in the county ofBooks and State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Tire-Reel, ofwhich the following is a specification. n

The invention relates to improvements in wire-reels.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction ofwire-reels, and to provide one which maybe readily mounted on anordinary farm-wagon, and which will automatically maintain the wire tautin winding up the same, and be capable of automatically relieving thetension or strain on the wire, to prevent accidental breaking.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a device which willenable the wire to be readily wound on a spool in both the forward andbackward movements of a vehicle along a fence, to avoid the necessity ofhaving to return to the point of starting, in order to continue reeling,after having once passed the length of the fence.

Another object of the invention is to enable wire to be readily unreeledfor fencebuilding, and to be laid close to the posts in the backward andforward movements of a vehicle.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination andarrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a wire-reelconstructed in accordance with this invention and mounted on a wagon.Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view illustrating the manner of mountingthe spool. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of the supportingframe,illustrating the manner of mounting the lever.- Fig. 4 is a detail viewof the guide.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

1 designates a substantially rectangular supporting-frame, designed tobe mounted at an inclination within a wagon-body 2, and having the frontterminals of its sides 3 resting upon the bottom of the wagon-body, andabutting Yagainst a transverse cleat 4, secured to the wagon-body. Thesides ofthe supporting frame are connected by a pair of transverse bars5 and 6, which project laterally from' the sides 3, and are secured toshort longitudinal bars 7, arranged parallel with the` sidesSpacing-blocks 8 are interposed between the front ends of the shortlongitudinal bars 7 and the sides 3, and depending wagon-engaging bars 9are pivoted between the rear terminals of the bars 7 and the sides 3,and have their lower ends bearing against the outer faces of the sidesof the wagon -body. The upper ends 10 of the wagon-engaging bars 9 areenlarged and the depending portions of the bars 9 are laterally offset,in order to clear the sides of the wagon-body. The supporting-frame. isremovable, and the pivots 11 lof thebars 9 permit the latter to foldlongitudinally of the frame, for compactness, when the apparatus isdetached from the wagon.

A hollow transverse shaft 1,2 is journaled at the back of thesupporting-frame in suitable openings of the sides 3 and the bars 7, andprojects laterally from the supportingframe, and is provided with wheelsor rollers 13, arranged above and contacting with the hind wheels of thewagon, and adapted to cause a rotation of, the shaft 12 when the wagonmovesforward.

The shaft 12 is provided at each end with a perforation 14, and isadapted to receive a spool-spindle 15, which is, provided with a seriesof perforations 16, and is adapted to be moved or telescoped into eitherend of the hollow shaft, and to be withdrawn therefrom to increase ordiminish its length, to adapt it to different-sized spools. It isretained rigid with the shank by a key or pin 17, fitting in aperforation of the spindle, and passing throughthe adjacent perforationlet of the shaft. rlhe outer end of the spindle is threaded, and isprovided with a nut 1S, which is adapted to be screwed up against aspool 19, whereby the latter is rigidly mounted on or fixed to thespindle and the shaft.

The wire is mounted on the spool, slightly faster than the forwardmovement of the vehicle, to maintain it taut, and in order to preventany liability of the wire breaking under any strain,incident to windingit up, the frame is capable of swinging upward slightly, and

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The wire is wound evenly on the spool byA means of a guide-pulley 20,having a grooved periphery, and journaled detachably on one end of areciprocating rod or bar 2l, which is slidingly mounted in openings offolding arms 22 of the supporting-frame. Each end of the reciprocatingbar or rod 2l is adapted for the reception of the grooved pulley 20, andthe reciprocating movement of the bar or rod is limited by projectionsor pins 23, located at the inner sides of the arms 22. The arms 22 arepivoted to the front ends of the bars 7, and are adapted to be foldedagainst the same when the reel is not in use.

The rod or bar 2l is reciprocated by a lon gitudinally-disposed lever24, fulcrumed intermediate of its ends on the transverse bar (5, andhaving its front end removably pivoted to the reciprocating rod or bar2l. The lever is adapted to be operated by the knees of the operator, inorder to leave his hands free for guiding the team, and is arranged in akeeper 25, and is provided with a longitudinal slot 2 6, receiving thefulcruming-pivot 27, and arranged on the pivot 27 is anantifrictionsleeve which renders the operation of the lever 24:frictionless. The shaft and the reciprocating bar or rod are preferablydetachably mounted in the frame by means of pins, which may be removedto permit the reel to be taken apart, if desired.

In reeling wire the' spindle is mounted at one side of the vehicle, asillustrated in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings, and this will throwthe vehicle and the team a sufficient distance from the fence, to enablewire to be taken up or paid out for fence-building, withoutinconvenience. After reaching the end of a fence or section of the same,and it is desired to return to the starting-point, the spool is firstremoved, and the vehicle is then turned. The spool is then placed on theother end of the shaft, and the position of the grooved pulley islikewise changed to the other end of the reciprocating bar or rod, andby these means the mechanism may be arranged to wind or unwind to eitherside of the vehicle, to enable wire to be reeled or unreeled whentraveling along the fence in either direction.

In order to direct the wire to the grooved pulley and prevent it frombecoming disengaged from the same, a wire-guide 28 is employed, and ismounted on one end of a transverse bar 29, secured to the upper edges ofthe wagon-body and resting upon the sides thereof. The transverse bar 29projects laterally beyond the wagon-body a sufficient distance, in orderthat the guide 28 may lie in advance of the grooved pulley and thespool, and it is detachably mounted on the wagon by means of hooks 30,depending from the transverse bar, and engaging keepers or loops 3l,mounted on the outer faces of the sides of the wagon-body. The upperends of the shanks of the hooks 30 are passed through the transverse bar29, and are threaded and provided with nuts 32,`engaging the upper faceof the transverse bar 29, and adapted to create the desired pressure forholding the transverse bar iirmly on the wagon-bed.

The wire-guide 28 is composed of vertical sides 33, and vertical andhorizontal rolls 34 and 35 arranged in pairs, and forming a rectangularwire-openin g within them. The horizontal rolls 35 are mounted onspindles, which are supported by the sides 33, and the vertical rolls 34are journaled on spindles 36, having their lower ends fixed to thetransverse bar 29, and their upper ends bent at right angles, andforming stops to prevent the rolls 3l from becoming disengaged. By thisarrangement of guides the wire will always contact with one of therolls, and will be prevented from binding and breaking, and will beguided to the grooved pulley.

It will be seen that'the wire-reel is exceedingly simple and inexpensivein con struction, that it is adapted to be readily mounted on anyordinary wagon or similar vehicle, and that it is capable ofautomatically regulating the tension of the wire.

Changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of constructionmay be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacriticingany of the advantages of this invention.

l. The combination with a vehicle, of a frame mounted thereon andarranged to swing upward, a shaft journaled on the frame and providedwith a wheel, frictionally engaging one of the wheels of the vehicle andadapted to be carried out of such engagement by the upward swinging ofthe frame, and means for mounting the spool on the shaft, whereby thetension of the wire will swing the frame upward and disengage the wheelof the shaft to relieve the wire of strain automatically, substantiallyas described.

2. A reel, comprising a supporting frame, designed to be mounted on avehicle and capable of swinging upward, a shaft journaled thereon andprovided with wheels arranged to engage those of a vehicle and adaptedto be released from such engagement by the upward swinging ofthe frame,areversible spool carrying spindle adapted to be arranged at either endof the shaft, a transversely disposed reciprocating bar or rodguided onthe frame and located in advance of the shaft, a reversible pulleyadapted to be arranged on either end of the reciprocating bar or rod andhaving a peripheral groove to receive the wire,

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and means for reciprocating the bar or rod, substantially as described.

3. Areel, comprising an inclined frame, designed to be mounted within awagon body and to rest upon the same, the pivoted wagon engaging barsdepending from the back of the frame and arranged to t against the sidesof the wagon body and adapted to fold against the frame the folding arms22 mounted on the frame and extending upward therefrom, a transverseshaft journaled on the frame and provided with Wheels for engaging thoseof a vehicle, a reversible spindle adapted to be arranged at either endof the shaft and receive the shaft, a reciprocating bar or rod mountedon said arms7 a grooved pulley adapted to be arranged on either end ofthe reciprocating bar or rod, and a lever fulcrumed on the frame anddisposed longitudinally thereof and connected with the reciprocating baror rod, and extending rearward from the frame and arranged to beoperated by the legs of a person, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a vehicle, of a frame mounted thereon andcapable of swinging upward, a transverse shaft journaled on the frameand provided with Wheels for engaging those of the vehicle, a spindleadapted to receive the spool and capable of fitting on either end of theshaft and being reversible to arrange the spool at either side of theframe, a reciprocating rod or bar located in advance of the shaft andcarrying a grooved pulley, a transverse bar detachably secured to thebody of the vehicle and projecting laterally therefrom, and a wire guidemounted on said transverse bar and located in advance of the pulley andprovided with rolls arranged in rectangular form, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

VALTER R. MCNUTT.

Vitnesses:

H. R. HULL, DUNCAN ALGAR.

